Goose VPN Review — Is It Good and Safe for 2025?

Goose VPN boldly claims to offer premium protection with flexible pricing. But with so many mixed reviews, I decided to test it to determine whether it delivers on performance, security, and value, or if it's just another average VPN with a good marketing team.

Is Goose a good VPN? Despite being a small player with just above 500,000 users (Goose VPN, 2025)¹, it offers decent performance and supports unlimited simultaneous connections. However, it struggles to match the consistency and reliability of top-rated VPNs, especially regarding speeds and streaming capabilities.

Casual users who want basic online privacy and device coverage without a learning curve may find Goose VPN sufficient. Power users, gamers, and streamers should probably look elsewhere.

Goose VPN Pros, Cons, and Needed Improvements

Goose VPN Pros, Cons, and Needed Improvements

Goose VPN fell short in streaming performance compared to most competitors. While it can safely access Netflix, it doesn’t work with other major platforms. In contrast, top streaming VPNs like ExpressVPN can securely access most streaming services without issues. If you're a regular streamer who wants consistency with multiple streaming platforms, you'd be better off choosing a more powerful streaming VPN.

Popular Streaming Platforms We Tested

In our tests, Goose VPN worked reliably with Netflix. The stream was smooth, with no buffering during playback. However, that was the extent of its streaming access. Every other popular platform we tested — including Hulu, Disney+, ESPN+, and Amazon Prime Video — didn't work.

Skipping through scenes caused a few seconds of buffering

We tried multiple servers across different regions, cleared cookies, and even switched browsers, but none of these troubleshooting options helped. Goose VPN isn’t a reliable choice if streaming is your top priority.

How fast is Goose VPN? Goose VPN delivers decent (but far from impressive) performance, which is disappointing considering 49% of VPN users look at performance when choosing a VPN (Forbes, 2025)². While it handles browsing and streaming Netflix on nearby servers reasonably well, it’s noticeably slower than many top VPNs.

Its speed results are also inconsistent. In some cases, the connection worked fine, while in others, it suffered from sudden slowdowns or high latency, especially when connected to servers farther from our location.

To keep our results fair and accurate, we ran each speed test using the same internet connection, from the same location, and using the fastest available protocol. Our US-based testers conducted the tests multiple times on different days and at various times. Below are the average results.

Our speeds fell 55 % on nearby servers and 70% on distant ones

Goose VPN’s speeds are generally below average compared to the fastest VPNs. Even its fastest servers slowed us down significantly.

During our tests, Goose VPN showed inconsistent latency. Ping values exceeded 150ms on many servers, which is too high for smooth, competitive gameplay. High ping causes noticeable delays in response times and a frustrating gaming experience.

However, when connected to nearby or local servers, the ping dropped to more acceptable levels, making casual gaming possible.

Goose VPN is not ideal for highly competitive or fast-paced games

For serious or competitive gaming, it’s better to opt for a VPN with a larger, more gaming-optimized server network that prioritizes low latency across global locations.

Goose VPN offers a modest server network spread across 15 countries. This gives it a decent but limited global reach, covering major regions like North America, Europe, and parts of Asia. However, it’s missing servers in key areas such as Africa and the Middle East, which some larger VPN providers do cover.

You can't select servers by specific cities — only by country

The VPN includes servers explicitly optimized for streaming and P2P file sharing, which helps improve performance and reliability for these activities. Despite this, the overall network is still relatively small, which could lead to overcrowding during peak usage times and impact connection quality. Better alternatives have more extensive, higher-quality server networks.

Unfortunately, Goose VPN doesn’t offer dedicated IP addresses, a feature that can give you more consistent access or added security. Aside from the basics, Goose VPN also lacks advanced server features like RAM-only servers and double VPN.

Does Goose VPN Work in China? Maybe

According to Goose VPN’s customer support, the VPN might work in China, but they did not promise connection stability. VPN traffic in China is heavily monitored and restricted, so most VPNs don’t work, and those that do often experience connectivity issues. Support suggested using OpenVPN while browsing in China.

Download Goose VPN before traveling to China, since the VPN is blocked in the country

Goose VPN doesn’t offer special obfuscation features or mirror links that are explicitly designed to work in China. If you need to use a VPN while in the country, you should consider getting a VPN known to work in China.

It’s important to note that VPNs are banned in China, though there have been no publicly reported cases of the government targeting individuals for using them. That said, using a VPN in China can still carry risks, so you should be cautious when accessing restricted content.

Goose VPN comes with standard security features, including AES-256 encryption, the industry standard for protecting user data. However, compared to its main competitors, Goose VPN lacks some advanced security options, which might leave you wanting more if you’re highly privacy-conscious.

For instance, the VPN doesn’t offer split tunneling, which lets you route specific traffic through the VPN while letting other traffic bypass it. This is useful when you want to keep some internet activities protected by the VPN (like banking) but still access local services without the VPN's interference.

It also lacks any integration with Tor or any other specialized privacy tools like Double VPN (multi-hop connections). While it does provide strong encryption, the lack of these features can make Goose VPN less appealing if you prioritize online anonymity. If you require Tor for extra privacy or anonymity, your best bet is to opt for a VPN with direct Tor support.

Encryption

Goose VPN uses AES-256 encryption to secure your data. This encryption is considered likely unbreakable and is used by governments and cybersecurity experts worldwide. It protects your browsing, streaming, and online activity from prying eyes.

Security Protocols

Goose VPN’s Windows app supports standard protocols like OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP, and IKEv2, which offer a good balance of speed and security. Apple users can choose between L2TP and IKEv2, while Android users have only one — IKEv2.

Manually switching protocols can help improve compatibility on restricted networks

While OpenVPN is a solid choice, the lack of more modern options limits Goose VPN’s ability to stay competitive in terms of performance and flexibility.

Kill Switch

The kill switch feature in Goose VPN protects your data if the connection drops unexpectedly. It cuts off your internet access until the VPN connection is reestablished, preventing unencrypted traffic from leaking. I noticed that you must enable Autopilot mode for Goose VPN’s kill switch to work. During testing, I found the kill switch worked reliably, blocking all internet traffic when the VPN disconnected.

Leak Test Results

In our leak tests, Goose VPN performed well, with no DNS, IP, or WebRTC leaks detected. This is essential for maintaining online privacy, as leaks could expose your actual location or identity.

Keeping your data hidden boosts your online anonymity and makes browsing safer

Unfortunately, I noticed that DNS leak protection is only available on Windows, but not on its mobile apps.

Cyber Alarm

The Cyber Alarm feature provides real-time alerts in case of any security threats or suspicious activity while using the VPN. This feature aims to help you stay aware of potential risks, such as unusual logins, malware attempts, or compromised connections. While not as comprehensive as some advanced threat detection systems offered by top-tier VPNs, Cyber Alarm adds an extra layer of awareness, alerting you to possible security issues in real-time.

Goose VPN claims to uphold a strict no-logs policy, meaning it does not track or store any data related to user activity or online behavior. This is crucial, since some say privacy is the primary consideration for 40% of VPN users (Astrill VPN, 2024)³, while other polls show it’s number one for 47% (CNET, 2025)⁴. However, Goose VPN leaves some slight uncertainty about the actual implementation of its privacy practices.

The provider is owned by Goose VPN B.V., a company based in the Netherlands. The Netherlands' jurisdiction places it within the reach of EU data retention laws, another concern for this otherwise privacy-friendly vendor.

Does Goose VPN Keep Logs? No

Goose VPN asserts a strict no-logs policy, stating that it doesn’t collect or store any personally identifiable information or user activity data during VPN usage. The only data retained is the email address provided during account registration and a one-time IP address log at sign-up.

Goose VPN also says it doesn't share your data with third parties

Unfortunately, the VPN doesn’t currently accept cryptocurrency, which limits your options if you want enhanced financial anonymity. Additionally, while Goose VPN maintains a no-logs policy, it acknowledges the possibility of retaining logs if a public body suspects a user of criminal activities, such as terrorism.

Was Goose VPN Audited? No

At the time we reviewed Goose VPN, it hadn’t undergone any independent third-party audits to verify its no-logs claims or overall security practices. This means that while the VPN asserts a strict no-logs policy, it’s difficult to substantiate these claims. In contrast, many privacy-oriented VPNs have completed multiple independent security audits.

Based in the Netherlands

Goose VPN is based in the Netherlands, a member of the 14 Eyes Alliance. This alliance consists of countries that have agreements to share intelligence and surveillance data, which could pose a privacy risk.

However, the Netherlands does have strong privacy laws. Additionally, it’s part of the European Union, which enforces strict data protection regulations under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This makes the country a bit more privacy-friendly than others in the 14 Eyes.

Goose VPN has P2P-optimized servers that provide more stable and faster connections for torrenting. During my tests, Goose VPN did cause some connection slowdowns compared to the top P2P VPNs, but it was still possible to torrent. For instance, downloading a 1GB file took approximately 5 minutes, which is slower than without the VPN (usually around 2 minutes for the same file).

The VPN doesn’t offer advanced features like port forwarding or a SOCKS5 proxy, which can enhance torrenting by improving connection speeds and bypassing certain restrictions. However, its solid security features are definitely an asset while torrenting.

While torrenting is legal in most regions, downloading copyrighted material isn’t. We urge you only to access torrents within the public domain.